When will nail salons re-open in the UK?

Businesses that require hands-on interaction with customers are at the highest risk of spreading Covid-19, so when it was announced on 23rd March that the UK would go into lockdown as a temporary measure, naturally nail salons were among the first to announce closures.

Six weeks later, talks of loosening lockdown measures have begun. As nail salons are classed as 'retail', it is predicted that nail salons will open at some point in June - but most likely in the later stages of the month, as lockdown is gradually eased.

In Italy, after a 55-day lockdown period, shops are scheduled to open on May 18th, while hair and beauty salons will open on June 1st. Similarly in Germany, following the reopening of DIY stores and garden centres, hair salons were opened on May 4th, and it’s likely nail bars will be next in line.

After getting the green light from their government, strict rules have been put in place for reopened salons in Germany for the foreseeable future: hair stylists must wear protective gear, and customers must be seated far enough apart to adhere to social distancing guidelines. For nail salons - which will likely have to adhere to the same strict rules - it could prove tricky.

Where previously rows of manicure stations were placed within 2 metres of each other, once open, a look at layouts may be required to ensure social distancing can be maintained, particularly as they’ll have permanent hand-wash fittings in place that can’t be moved. Proper PPE will likely be required for every treatment to keep customers and staff protected, and a salon is likely to reduce the number of clients to avoid crowding.

A less extensive treatment menu could be one way to ensure a speedier service: gel manicures or nail extensions are a lengthy process that require one customer sitting in a chair for often over an hour. They’re also notoriously tricky to remove without specialist tools and products, so may require a trip back to said salon for removal, doubling the amount of time (plus the journey) spent there.

All of this puts a different demand on the salon itself altogether. Would longer hours be put in place to cater for everyone? Or shorter hours to ensure less people visited in one day?

‘We haven’t received any government guidelines regarding what to do when we reopen yet,’ said Fatima Naveed, brand manager at Duck & Dry, stylish blow-dry and nail bar with locations in London’s Oxford Circus and Mayfair. ‘We do have to have a balance between limiting the number of customers, services performed or opening hours with the businesses being able to survive.

'All businesses with high fixed costs, rents, high staffing rates, and we’ll be looking for extra staff to disinfect surfaces and equipment, too. We’ll continue our strict hygiene measures including face masks and gloves, and will disinfect the space after every client visit. We plan to limit clients to one at a time, only offering pre-booked appointments so we can control the footfall in the salon.’

While we haven’t had a definitive answer on when nail salons will be allowed to reopen, there’s no denying we’d all feel a little more normal if we were able to have our go-to manicure so there’s no doubt salon appointments will be booked up as soon as lockdown measures are softened.

‘Our clients are looking forward to coming back to the salon again,’ Juanita Huber-Millet, founder of Townhouse nail bar, told The Telegraph. ‘We have plans to take advantage of our spacious location to implement social distancing. We want them to enjoy their manicures with no compromise on safety.’